Prince Harry will attend his father’s coronation without Meghan Markle

The Duchess of Sussex will stay in America with children

Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles III, but his wife Meghan will remain in California with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The Duke of Sussex will attend his father’s coronation, but without the Duchess of Sussex and their two children, writes The Guardian.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Buckingham Palace is delighted to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend a coronation service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May. The Duchess of Sussex will stay in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation about whether Harry and Meghan would accept the invitation to attend the coronation. The fact that the coronation will take place on Prince Archie’s fourth birthday played a role in the Duchess’s decision to stay in America, sources said.

Prince Harry will join over 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey. This will be the first time he has been seen in public with other members of the royal family, including his brother William, Prince of Wales, since the publication of his controversial memoir The Spare.

Although Harry is not expected to play any official role, Prince William will play a prominent role in the coronation, and his son, nine-year-old Prince George, is also confirmed as one of the king’s honorary pages at the ceremony.

It is unknown if Harry will attend any other coronation-related events over the long weekend, including concerts that the royal family is expected to honor with their presence.

Relations between the Sussexes and the palace escalated after the publication in January of Harry’s memoir Spare, in which he criticized members of the royal family.

Sources said that the invitation of King Charles III to attend the coronation was addressed to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The fact that Meghan chose to stay away could be interpreted by some as a sign of ongoing tensions between the rebellious couple and the palace.

Since the Sussexes are no longer current members of the royal family, it is understandable that they will not play any official role in the coronation, The Guardian notes. Their children, three-year-old Prince Archie and one-year-old Princess Lilibet, would have been considered too young to attend the ceremony.

Charles III, while still Crown Prince, once dated his granddaughter Lilibet when the couple briefly returned to the UK to attend a thanksgiving service for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in June.

Those who will join the King and Queen in the carriage procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace after their coronation and enthronement are expected to include the Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Kate) with their children, Princess Anne Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra of Kent.